Gas range burner valve handle protector



Oct 1956 P. SHUSTER AS RANGE BURNER VALVE HANDLE PROTECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1953 Oct. 2, 1956 P. SHUSTER 2,764,968

GAS RANGE BURNER VALVE HANDLE PROTECTOR Filed Dec. 11, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 q a I! I 40 17 57 I7 l 1647 41 1 9' IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent GAS RANGE BURNER VALVE HANDLE PROTECTOR Philip Shuster, Bronx, N. Y. Application December 11, 1953, Serial No. 397,566 1 Claim. (Cl. 126-42) This invention relates to a protector for the burner valve handles of domestic gas ranges and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a practical and eflicient device of this kind which serves to protectively enclose the burner valve handles and prevent their unauthorized operation, especially by children, the device being capable of being positively locked against being opened.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated above which is simple in construction, composed of a minimum number of parts, can be made in a rugged, serviceable, and attractive form at relatively low cost, and can be easily and quickly installed and removed.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration rather than limitation, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front perspective view, partly broken away, of a conventional domestic gas cooking range, equipped with a protector in accordance with the present invention, the protector being open;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing the protector closed;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the protector open;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the cover inge means;

Figure 6 is a perspective and exploded view of one of the brackets;

Figure 7 is a group perspective view of a burner valve shaft collar assembly;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of an assembly of burner valve shaft, bracket, collars, and shaft shim; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a shaft shim.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 generally designates a conventional form of gas cooking range, having a horizontal top wall 11, vertical sidewalls 12, 12, and a front wall 13. On a horizontal level near to and spaced below the top wall 11 there projects forwardly from the front wall 13 a plurality of similar and laterally spaced burner valve shafts, including end burner valve shafts 14 and 15, respectively. The burner shafts have secured on their forward ends similar handles 16 which are locked in place by set screws 16'.

On two or more of the burner valve shafts which are relatively widely spaced from each other, such as the outer shafts 14 and 15, are mounted similar brackets 17, 17. Each bracket 17 comprises a vertically elongated generally rectangular plate 18 having on its upper and lower ends pairs of laterally spaced rearwardly olfset lugs 19, 19 and 20, 20, respectively, and single forwardly offset lugs 21, 22, respectively, located between the lugs 19, 19 and 20, 20, respectively. The single centered lugs 21 and 22 have tapped holes 23 and 24, respectively, which accommodate set screws 25 and 26, respectively.

At the centers of the plates 18 are smooth burner valve shaft collar receiving holes 27 which are substantially larger in diameter than the valve shafts 14 and 15. On each of said valve shafts is secured a shaft collar assembly including a rear collar 28 and a front or lock collar 29.

The rear shaft collar 28 has a smooth axial bore 30 snugly receiving the related burner valve shaft, and includes a rear disc 31 and a forward reduced bore 32. The disc 31 is provided with a threaded radial bore 32' accommodating a set screw 33 which lockingly engages the related valve shaft. The related bracket 17 has its hole 27 snugly engaged on the boss 32 and abuts the forward face of the disc 31.

The front or locking collar 29 is in the form of an annulus having an axial opening 34 snugly receiving the boss 32 and engaging the forward side of the bracket plate 18. The annulus has a threaded radial bore 35 receiving a set screw 36 which engages the boss 32 and books the collar 29 in place, whereby the bracket 17 is mounted on the related valve shaft and such shaft is free to be rotated relative to the bracket 17.

Mounted on the brackets 17, 17 is a horizontally elongated frame 37 which includes a back wall 38 provided with a conformably shaped slot 39 which defines upper and lower longitudinal and vertical flanges 40 and 41. The frame 37 further includes upper and lower horizontal walls or flanges 42 and 43, respectively, and vertical endwalls 44 and 45, the upper and lower walls 42 and 43 and the endwalls 44 and 45 being relatively narrow and of the same width. The upper and lower walls 42 and 43 have forward edges 46 and 47, respectively, which terminate forwardly of the collar assemblies and rearwardly of the burner valve shaft handles or knobs 16.

The frame 37 is mounted on the brackets 17, 17 by engaging the upper and lower frame flanges 42 and 43 between the upper and lower bracket lugs 19, 19 and 21, and 20, 20 and 22, respectively, and then tightening the set screws 25 and 26 against the forward sides of the upper and lower frame flanges 40 and 41, respectively.

The illustrated pan-shaped cover or door 48 is of substantially the same dimensions as the frame 37 but has curved upper and lower walls 49 and 50, respectively, which merge into its front wall 51, the walls 49 and 58 having rearwardly facing free edges 52 and 53, respectively, which in the closed position of the door, abut the forwardly facing free edges 46 and 47, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and endwalls 61, 61.

The door 48 is hinged on the lower frame flange or wall 43 by means of tabs 54 on the free edge 53 of the lower door wall 50 which are passed through slots 55 in the lower frame flange or wall 43 and are formed into semi-circular eyes, as shown in Figures 3 to 5.

A downwardly offset generally S-shaped spring detent 56 projects rearwardly from the center of the face edge 52 of the upper door flange or wall 49 has an upwardly projection 57 which is arranged to frictionally engage upwardly into a detent slot 58 provided in the upper frame wall 42 so as to releasably lock the door 48 in closed position, with suflicient security to resist expected attempts of children to open the door 43.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, where burner valve shafts are encountered which are smaller in diameter than the bores of the collars 28 and 29, split shims 60 may be used to effectively increase the diameters of the shafts to fit the collar bores.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a frame having spaced flanges, brackets extending between and engaging said flanges, first locking means securing the brackets to the flanges, said brackets being provided with central holes, collar assemblies comprising front and rear collars, said rear collars having reduced boss portions and enlarged disc portions and being provided with shaft receiving bores, second locking means on said rear collars for locking the rear collars on shafts extending through their bores, said central bracket holes being engaged on said boss portions, said front collars being annular and being engaged on said boss portions of the rear collars with one side of the brackets engaging the disc portions of the rear brackets and the front collars engaging the other sides of the brackets, and third locking means on said front collars securing the front collars on the boss portions of the rear collars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 480,499 Houghtlin Aug. 9, 1892 989,203 Stebbins Apr. 11, 1911 1,124,707 Cowan Jan. 12, 1915 1,810,028 Paszkowski June 16, 1931 2,667,864 Marx Feb. 2, 1954 

